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Shattered: Redux

Chapter IX: What Once Was, Part I

Sometimes you have to let go of what's gone; appreciate what remains and look forward to what's next...

-Anonymous

After his injury, it was decided that they would postpone any more assignments. Instead, they would go to Zoness and wait until he was completely recuperated. Alex had expressed to Fox that he was fit for duty and that they shouldn't stop because he got hurt. But the vulpine had shot that down quickly, saying that the venomians would not be going anywhere anytime soon. The corneria army had the system on lockdown until the situation was resolved. They could take care of it until they got back. Besides, it wasn't like there was a time frame for the mission. The clients were happy that they had already taken care of one of the bases.

Fox also was thinking that it was about time that Alex get a feeling for life not involving fighting or being a mercenary. And for that, he told the human that they would all be going for a little R&R for a few days.

Alex had visibly blanched at that.

It had been so long that he had forgotten how to R&R. That was not even considering that he was completely alien in this world and had no idea what he would even do with his free time. It also compounded his concerns when Krystal and Miyu offered to help him out. He sensed there was some ulterior motive to their assistance and it made the human nervous. What was it they were planning?

Alex wondered that very thought as he stepped out of the shuttle that transported him down to the surface along with the rest of the team. As he looked around the starport, he took in all of the beautiful surroundings with awed eyes. It was quite the overwhelming sight for a man who had never seen a world of its like before.

Zoness had been a polluted wasteland all through the entirety of the Lylat wars up to their conclusion. But after they had concluded, a massive effort had been made by the cornerian government to clean it up. Since then, amazing progress had been made. The once contaminated and diseased world was a spitting image of itself from the pre-war era. He could see over the starport's concrete walls to the massive swath of crisp blue oceanic waves just a few kilometers away.

"It's a beautiful world isn't it eh?" Alex felt a nudge and looked down to his left to Falco. The avian had a prideful smirk on his beak, and a fondness in his sea-green eyes.

"This is your home?" Alex concluded from his observation.

The avian nodded, still smiling. "Yeah, born and raised. I'll always have a soft spot for it." Falco sighed and turned back to the human. "What was your home like?"

Alex took a moment to remember his home. It had been a long time since he gave it thought. "My home was a world near the galactic core, called Osiris IV. It was a mining colony; we produced resources for the construction and preservation of planet crackers. Life was hard there, pollution was rampant and work was dangerous. But we managed to get by, day-to-day."

Fox, who had been listing in as they walked out of the starport, turned and entered the conversation. "So, a world like this must be a pretty big change of scenery."

Alex chuckled. "Yeah, you could say that."

"Do you remember anything else about your home?" Miyu asked.

"I can recall the clouds of black smoke and the sounds of heavy machinery constantly churning as the foundries refined the minerals and prepared them for transport off world. But beyond that, not much else." He replied as they walked past the gates of the port and into the small lot of pavement next to it. There was a large collection of odd looking vehicles lined up in orderly rows and a small booth at the end with a single person inside.

"Sounds like a rough place." Falco muttered thoughtfully.

Alex nodded, not wanting to go in more detail about his past. He stepped to the side with the others as Fox traveled to the booth and began to speak with the attendant. As he waited, his thoughts were invariably going to stray to what the two women had planned. Krystal was standing to his left and so he voiced his concern. "So....what's the plan? Nothing too crazy I hope."

Krystal's muzzle lit up in a smile, teeth shining in the sunlight. "Oh nothing special, just a day relaxing with friends..."

Alex smirked. "Relaxing huh...? That'll be nice for once, no crazy monsters or guys with guns."

"Yeah, we though you would like that." Miyu added with one of her usual grins, eat twitching as she fumbled with her tail.

"Watch out Alex, that's how they get you." Falco added confidently. "It starts off with a harmless day at the beach or whatever. But then, BAM!" The avian slammed a fist into his palm for emphasis. "They got you tied down."

"Tied down?" Alex muttered.

"Yeah, this is just step one. Step two is dates! Then they've really got you!"

"Got me?" The clueless man repeated.

"Got you, you get a ring on your finger and then your days as a bachelor are gone....GONE!" Falco threw his feathered hands up in the air and he was breathing heavily, eyes wide with fervor. He was very passionate about this subject it would seem.

Alex nodded slowly and patted the incensed avian on the shoulder consolingly. "Alright Falco, I've got your warning." As he did so he looked over to Krystal and Miyu and smiled using his other hand's pointing finger in a circular motion on the side of his head as he made a goofy face.

Both of the girls giggled and placed paws on their muzzles and tried to keep it quiet, but Falco picked up on it easily.

"What, what's so funny?" He demanded, turning to glare at them suspiciously.

"Nothing feather head, just an inside joke." Miyu replied as her giggling subsided. Krystal nodded her muzzle in agreement, not saying a word.

Falco eyed them carefully for five seconds before he huffed and shifted his attention to Fox, who was just pulling up in what looked like a rental car. Alex noticed that it hovered a foot and a half of the ground and he could see distortion in the gap between steel and pavement. It reminded him of the repulsor tech back home.

"Come on, get in." Fox called, motioning them over with a paw from the driver's window.

They were all quick to pile into the car. It was about the same size as a large van and so it fit all seven of them relatively comfortably. Falco and Fox took the front seats and the rest of them piled into the back. Slippy and Fay got comfortable seating, but Alex was squashed into the middle of the back between Krystal and Miyu.

He smiled a little awkwardly at the duo and tried to not let the warm fur and female bodies get to him. But as Fox drove the hover car towards wherever it was that they were going, there were plenty of twists and turns. And it seemed that they both were taking every opportunity to get uncomfortably, or comfortably, close to him.

On a particularly harsh turn, Krystal was pulled by the force of the turn until her muzzle was almost pressing into his groin. Needless to say it had the human very red faced. "Sorry." He murmured to her.

Krystal flicked her ear and grinned. "It's okay Alex, accidents happen."

Alex held back a frown as he nodded, shifting his ire over to the front of the car. "Hey Fox, take it easy there huh?" He asked nervously, preceded by an inaudible gulp.

Fox, made the human cringe when he transferred his concentration from driving and to him, looking over his shoulder to reply, unheeding of the road. "Alright Alex, I suppose my reckless flying follows me everywhere."

"Yeah well it's a little crowded back here." He retorted.

"It's alright Alex; I like the snug fit." Miyu expressed happily, resting her muzzle on his shoulder and looking up at him with an adorable smile. "I like it."

He smiled back weakly and a little unsure of himself. He never was one to respond to feminine affection very well, even with Sarah. He always had a tendency to respond awkwardly. "That's nice I guess." As soon as he registered what he said he scolded himself internally. 'Stupid, stupid, stupid...' He scolded himself, mentally smacking himself in the head.

Miyu giggled at his response and he sighed in indignity. It looked like he was in the clear.

"Hey Fox, why don't you speed up, I want to get there fast!" Miyu ordered.

And then again, maybe not....

**********

Alex climbed out of the hover-car, sighing as he cracked his back. He was glad to be out of the constrictive and tempting softness. He didn't trust himself to not making an embarrassing mistake. Not to be wrong, he had enjoyed it, but that did not mean that it was any less rough.

As the others piled out and stretched after the hour long drive, he began to study the city they had entered. It reminded him of a resort planet he and his fellow commandos had been deployed to. The only glaring difference was the lack of monsters vying for their blood and bodies.

Every building was composed of alabaster stone and bright blue windows. The furred people walking through the streets were wearing a wide variety of summer clothes, flip-flops, shorts, t-shirts, and hats. And in that instance it also reminded him of that world. Many of the necromorphs wore something very similar, giving Alex a very unpleasant feeling in his gut. Before he could dwell on that any more, something happened.

Fox made his way to the front of the group and grabbed their attention. "Okay guys..." He began. "The start of our little vacation begins now. I'll go set up a hotel for us and then hit the shopping mall. Make sure to keep your communicators on hand. And that's it I guess, have fun."

He fiddled with his comm system and turned to walk away, tail pattering away behind him. After that, everyone began to disperse. Falco said something about seeing old friends and Slippy went with Fay to a well-known tech store. They wanted to get somethings for the ship, grab things that it lacked.

Once it was all said and done, the only ones left standing by the car were Alex, Krystal, and Miyu. The human turned to the two girls and shrugged. "Well now that we're here, what was it that you wanted to do?"

Krystal responded first. "At first the plan was to go shopping."

Alex cringed. He knew what it was like to go shopping with a woman, let alone two. It was not exactly something he was looking forward to. He was sure that it transcended species barriers. Thankfully, it seemed that the plan had changed.

"Instead," Miyu added. "We thought that we would just take you to see the sights."

That sounded much better to him. "I could get behind that idea."

"We thought you might." Krystal replied, smiling as she did so.

Miyu grabbed Alex's hand with her free paw and began to lead him and Krystal around the city. She had more experience with this world then Krystal so she handed the reins over to her friend. They spent a solid couple of hours traveling the pristine streets of the city. Miyu acted as a tour guide of sorts, pointing out things and talking about others. Alex had a great time.

Half of his attention was focused on his friends, and the other half was on the lylatians who filled the streets. There must have been at least a few hundred within sight at any given time. There were families, groups of teens, and the occasional solo rider. But they all had something in common. They were all smiling. It seemed like this was a very happy world. There was almost no trash on the streets and the skies were a clear and unspoiled indigo that was magnificent to behold. This was the kind of place he could see himself settling down at.

The only downside if you could call it that was the reactions of the locals to his presence. Many stared openly or took pictures, as if he was some oddity that needed to be recorded. But he tried to not let it bother him too much; after all he was supposed to be relaxing right now. And letting it trouble him would not be conductive to that.

Krystal and Miyu soon began to notice the attention he was gathering. "Hey Alex, how about we go get a bite to eat? I know just the place." The feline led them to a small bistro-like place at the corner of an intersection. It was a single story building and on the far side was the beginning of a beach that's coastline stretched uninterrupted for kilometers in both direction until it disappeared around a curve. He gave one last look to its white sandy beaches as he slipped inside behind the two girls.

The inside of the little eatery was an attractive setting. The walls were a dark shade of lime and there were only a few tables for people to sit at with an additional handful outside. It was occupied by a dozen or so locals, who were all eating contentedly and talking amongst themselves. "Let's go grab some seats." Miyu suggested, grabbing a small table in the back of the café and waited to be served.

The patrons soon noticed that one of them was out of the ordinary and the stares resumed. But at least they were not as obtrusive; they only gave a quick look before returning to their meals. Alex appreciated that.

"So Alex, what do you think of Zoness?" Miyu inquired, fiddling with her tail as she waited for a response, watching him with soft amber eyes.

"To be honest, I think that it's an amazing planet, I wouldn't mind living here." He responded as he picked absently at the peeling corner of the wooden table.

The feline smiled and looked to Krystal. "See, no one can resist this place. That's almost exactly what you said the first time you got to stroll around here."

"Indeed, it is a wonderful place. It reminds me of the Balos Isles back on Cerinia. They were just as beautiful." The vixen sighed in remembrance of the forever lost beauty of her homeworld.

Miyu nodded her head in understanding before asking Alex. "What does it remind you of?"

The human ceased his picking and looked up to respond. "The closest thing I can think of was a small resort world near the edge of the Epsilon system. It was a great little world, and it retained its splendor all the way until we lost it during the marker war. But we gave one hell of a fight before we let it go."

That got the feline thinking. "What was the Marker war?" She had been left out of the true story of why he was there. And the human had forgotten that.

He shared a quick look with Krystal before he explained. "It was a war that devastated our worlds, but that is something I would like to never talk about again. There is much in that I would like to remain lost, I'm sorry. I know that's not what you wanted to hear."

"That's okay." Miyu bounced back from the denial smoothly. "I understand."

Before they could continue, a voice cut in. "Hello there and welcome to Ivana's Bistro, what can I g- Miyu....is that you?"

Alex turned to see a very large female wolverine with a blonde mane, dark grey fur and a lighter ashy colored stripe running from under her throat and disappearing down in her clothes. She was wearing a waitress's uniform and a huge smile.

"Hey there Lira, it's good to see you again." Miyu greeted casually with one of her usual smirks.

The other girl squealed excitedly and rushed over to pick up her friend in a 'bear' hug, dropping the stack of menus she had in her paws to scatter across the floor haphazardly.

"Miyu, long time no see! How long's it been; two months since you last walked in here?!"

The feline patted the much larger women's back. "Something like that, how about you let me down eh Lira?"

"Oops sorry, I forget that you don't like to be picked up." The women apologized, quickly releasing her friend.

Alex watched their reunion with a smile. It was always nice to see two friends reunite after a long time. He looked over to Krystal who was smiling as well. "Do you know her?"

The vixen nodded. "I've talked to her a few times before."

It was around this time that Lira had caught on that the feline wasn't alone. "Krystal, it is nice to see you again. And...." She drew a blank at Alex, before her muzzle began to shift into recognition as she pointed at him. "You must the alien from the news!" She yapped excitedly.

"The very same..." He agreed, politely smiling at the woman.

The female wolverine didn't respond. Too busy staring at him to answer. Miyu saw that and elbowed her friend hard, which didn't have much effect on the burly women then jarring her out of her stupor and letting her realize what she had been doing. "Oh I'm sorry." She apologized quickly. "It's not nice to stare."

Alex shrugged. "That's alright, I'm getting used to it."

"I know what'll make it better!" The girl announced, seconds before lifting the large human out of his seat and giving him a breathless hug.

It was at that moment, that he realized that the female wolverine was far larger than he expected. Alex considered himself to be a large and muscular man. But she was something else entirely. Lira stood at least a couple inches taller than he did and Alex could feel thick corded muscle underneath her downy coat of dark grey fur. It was an odd contradiction.

"Let him down you lug!" Miyu giggled as she tapped her friend on the shoulder and signaled her let him go.

Alex took a deep breath as his boots reunited with the ground, right back where they belonged. It went without saying that the hug had caught him by surprise. He heard giggling behind him and saw that Krystal had been laughing earnestly as he was hoisted up and squeezed by the large furry woman.

"Sorry, sorry..." Lira began to apologize again as she backed up a little, brushing of the front of her blue apron as she nitpicked.

"Lira's a....physical person." Miyu explained. "She likes to give hugs."

"There's nothing wrong with that." Alex told the blushing wolverine. "Next time I would like a warning though."

Lira nodded determinedly. "Right, give warnings, I got it." Alex wouldn't have been surprised if she wrote his advice down.

She then tried to get into work mode and asked for their orders. Miyu took a regular old fashioned burger, Krystal wanted a chef's salad and Alex decided on a simple ham sandwich with what looked like potato chips. Lira smiled and left to get their orders prepared.

"Lira's a nice girl, if a little soft on the inside." Miyu said as she watched her friend leave. "She's big and strong, but also frail. It doesn't take much to get her blubbering. She's a big ol softy at heart."

Alex smiled at that, he knew a guy just like that. Drew had been a titan of a man, a heavy gunner with a P36Z Assault cannon. But he was also the kindest most tranquil person that Alex had ever met, and he had a soft spot for anything that was small and covered in fur. Most of the other men thought he was a little slow, but the truth was that's just how he was.

"I knew someone like that, he was a great man."

Miyu smiled at that.

They talked for a little while before their meals came back, all held on a tray balanced on one of Lira's paws. "Lunch is served!" She announced happily, setting down the plates with their individual owners.

"Thanks Lira!" Miyu excitedly grabbed her burger, taking a massive bite and reducing it by a full quarter. Whatever she said next was unintelligible with so much food in her mouth.

Lira chuckled at her friend's expense. She knew that Miyu always loved the food here, especially the burger. Yet as much as she would like to stay and chat for a while, she had a job to do. Lira said her goodbyes and walked away, stopping at another table and getting their orders.

"She certainly is an interesting individual." Alex said, turning to Miyu.

The feline nodded; too busy eating to speak.

The trio went about finishing their meal and chatting pleasantly throughout the half hour it took to finish their meal. At the end, they finished and Miyu footed the bill. They talked with Lira before leaving, and Miyu promised to see her again before they left.

After that, Alex and the girls exited the dinner, and the human felt a little more comfortable with his lot in life. It had improved drastically compared to his bleak fatalistic outlook six months ago. And most if not all of that could be contributed the friends he made. Without them to help keep his mind off of what had transpired to him and his species, he doubted he would have recovered his sanity.

"Now, let's see about getting you some beach clothes." Krystal yipped excitedly, rubbing her black padded palms together in anticipation.

Alex turned to face her and Miyu, confused. "Beach...clothes?"

"Yep, you can't have a full Zoness experience without a trip to the most beautiful and luxurious beaches in all of the Lylat system." Miyu explained with a smirk.

Alex frowned. He had never been to a beach. The world he lived on did not support a coastline, everything, even water, needed to be brought in on massive supply ships, monthly. Although he had seen pictures of beaches, but that was the extent of his knowledge in that department. "If you guys insist,"

"We do." Miyu affirmed, grabbing his hand and tugging him along the street. Ale looked over his shoulder at Krystal, who was smiling as she followed along after him and the determined feline.

*********

Hunting for clothes that were suitable for someone without a tail proved to be an interesting task. In the end, they grabbed a suitable pair of trunks from a shop near the beach and just sealed the hole in the rear.

With that done, Alex and the girls stepped walked over to the beach. The human took in the endless veranda of pure white sand and crowds of families and friends playing on the beach. It was a scene that would stick with him for the rest of his life.

It had been so long since he had seen so many people enjoying themselves. It took him back to his days on the ark, before its collapse. The residential district had a huge park that many of the families visited daily. He himself had often spent many a relaxing day there with Sarah. Those memories took up a descent portion of his happy ones.

Krystal and Miyu watched Alex closely, taking in his softly smiling expression as he appeared to be absorbed in memories of a happier time. Seeing his countenance in such an obvious state of contentment warmed their hearts, and also sought to remind Krystal of why it was the way he was. Alex had very little pleasant memories to call upon, and most were undoubtedly clouded by his suffering. That only affirmed her desire to give him more memories to enjoy.

The vixen called out to him softly, breaking his sentimental concentration. "Hey Alex, let's go grab a spot."

"Right, grab a spot." He responded a little distantly as he focused himself once more on current reality. His smile faded somewhat, but did not go away completely.

The small group of friends managed to secure a spot near the sparkling blue water, only a few meters from the gently crashing waves.

Alex and Miyu set down their towels, bought from the same small shop that they had gotten his swimming trunks from. The sun only radiated a tender heat so an umbrella was not needed. Once their spot was set up, Alex wandered off towards the men's restroom, intending to change. And Krystal and Miyu decided to wait until he came back before changing as well. The vixen sat at the edge of their little spot, letting her paws drag lines through the white sand, deep in thought.

Alex occupied much of her mind since he arrived in her life. And while at first she had considered him a close friend, she was starting to consider that he may be a little closer than she originally anticipated. While it was true that he was different, it was also true that she felt comfortable around him, as if she could be herself without fear of being judged. He was someone she felt comfortable in confiding in, both with her anguishes and her delights.

Whenever he was not present she would think about him, his soft-spoken way and smoothly resonant voice. She would also think of his inherit compassion and understanding that he approached everyone with. Not once had she ever seen him angry with anyone on the ship. Indeed, he never seemed to be angry at all. And yet he had a fierce desire to protect everyone from harm. Her powers gave her a better understanding of the way he thought then he probably understood himself.

Alex was the kind of man a girl met perhaps once in her life.

Krystal ran her palm across the warm grainy sand and smiled. He was the kind of man she could see as a part of her life. The only thing was...did he even remotely feel the same way? Krystal didn't want to delve into his mind to find out; it would be an unjust use of her abilities, and a breach of his trust. There was also the thing about Sarah. She had heard him say that name aboard the derelict ship, when it appeared that he had been talking to an empty corridor. Who was Sarah, and what did she mean to him. It was a question that she was afraid to ask, for two reasons. One, Alex would know that they had intruded upon his privacy, and two, it could be something she did not want to hear.

Krysta; clenched her paws and dug her claws into the sandy beach.

All of this was so complicated, she just wished that it could be easy, and that she could just up and out say what she wanted to say and see what his response would be. And yet, she could not bring herself to just outright ask him.

"Let me guess, thinking about Alex?" Miyu's knowing tone invaded her thoughts.

The vixen shifted her muzzle to see the brown and black spotted feline sprawled on the quilt of towels, arms propped behind her head and facing her. "How did you know that?" Krystal inquired with a blush.

Miyu grinned. "It doesn't take a genius Krystal. I've seen more than enough love struck girls to pick up on the signs."

Krystal's ears panned backwards as her blush deepened at that and she smiled weakly. "Is it that apparent?"

The feline's head shook negatively. "Nah, he wouldn't be able to see it. Most men, regardless of whether or not their alien, can't see what's in front of them."

Krystal sighed in relief. She didn't know what she would have done if he knew what she was thinking. But that also got her thinking. What did Miyu think of Alex? She certainly seemed enamored back on the ship. The vixen voiced her thought and watched as the feline tried to play it off nonchalantly.

"Alex is a good guy, a little quiet at times, but good nonetheless." The telepathic vixen easily picked up on her surface emotions and could see right past her charade.

"You like him too." She acknowledged, self-assuredly.

Miyu's smile faltered however she kept it up, sighing and shaking her head ruefully. "You know Krystal, sometimes you're abilities are just plain unfair....yes, I like him too."

Krystal nodded to herself before fixing her emerald eyes on the feline's golden ones. "So....what are we going to do about this?" The cerulean vixen had no intention of backing down.

Miyu shrugged rather easily. "I don't know. I've never fallen for a guy before, never mind with someone else to contend with."

Krystal frowned. She didn't know what to do with this development. And before she could figure it out, Alex returned.

"Hey girls, what's with all the serious faces?" The obliviously innocent man asked.

Both women had to file their conversation away for another time and turned to address the newly arrived human, freezing as they saw him, jaws flapped open and rendered speechless by his appearance.

Alex stood there, besides their little sanctuary of towels. The human was clad only in the dark blue swimming trunks and holding his clothes in one hand. His state of undress allowed them to see what his clothes had been hiding from view. His physique could have been that of a semi-professional body builder. There was little to no fat on his body and most of it was defined muscle. Yet marring his impressive and mouthwatering figure was a patchwork of old faded wounds. Six months of fighting for survival had clearly left its mark on him. Both women could see jagged scars across his torso and what looked like puncture wounds on most of his upper body. His legs were largely free of blemishes although there were a few dime shaped circles of discolored flesh on his upper thighs.

Alex looked puzzled as to what they were looking at until he realized it and frowned embarrassedly. "I'm sorry about that, I'm sure it's nothing pretty to look at." The human looked ashamed of his body.

Both women blanched, not realizing that he had taken their looks the wrong way. "No, no, no." Miyu quickly spoke up. "I think scars are hot!"

Krystal, not knowing what else to do, nodded her head in agreement.

Alex seemed a little off put by her bold comment, but was noticeably relived that it had at least not been disgust in their eyes. The human didn't respond to her remark and instead sat on the towels beside them.

With him back to hold the fort, both girls were quick to grab their bags and head to the women's bathroom to change as well. That gave Alex plenty of time to think.

He was not sure what to take on the way they had looked at him. He was a little rusty when it came to anything besides fighting and fixing things. It was far easier to fix something or kill something then to talk with women. And it was even harder to try and understand them.

Although, it was nice to see that his body was desirable as that answered one of his worries regarding what his chances were with Krystal if he so decided to head down that road. And that was something he remained uncertain about. Alex did not know if it was right to try and find affection after losing Sarah. Would it be betraying her if he did? Or would he just be doing what was natural, seeking something to replace that void that had been ripped into him?

As terrible as it was to admit, he longed to once more have someone to hold and talk with, to share everything, body and soul. He missed the warmth of having another body in bed with him and the pleasure female company brought. Alex once more wanted someone to shower with love and affection.

The human chuckled softly at himself.

These were some pretty hefty thoughts to have at a beach. By rights, this should be a place to relax and forget about one's problems. And it seemed all it did was remind him of them. Alex decided to change gears; instead of dwelling on the inside he shifted his focus to the outside. He sat on the bed of towels and watched as the locals and tourists played on the beach and in the water. It was odd for the human, seeing all these different species interacting with one another and not showing any signs of segregation. It was possible that a sort of civil rights movement had happened already or that diversity was so commonplace that it was rendered unnecessary.

It was an interesting thought to consider.

Something else that also stuck with him was that he could easily see them as humans. Strip away their fur, tails, muzzles, and other animalistic traits, and they acted just like any person he had ever know. Alex closed his eyes and listened to the sounds of the lylatians as they played and talked amongst each other. And for a brief moment, Alex could picture that he was not the last human and was actually sitting amidst a crowd of humans, happily going about their days, enjoying the company of loved ones and friends.

As he pictured his unattainable fantasy, a solitary tear made its lonesome track down his face.

The shuffling of approaching feet kicking up sand alerted the human to the fact they were returning and so he quickly brushed the tear away and cleared his throat. He could feel sorry for himself later.

Instead, he turned to see the women approach, and it was his turn to be dumbfounded.

He first laid eyes on Krystal, who was wearing a dark red two-piece. The crimson color wrapped around her modest breasts and her private regions both completely and tantalizingly. The cerulean vixen's long slender legs and enticing figure was accentuated by her choice of attire. Her blue and creamy white fur looked perfectly brushed and he could not see a hair out of place on her stunning form.

Walking beside Krystal was Miyu, and she was wearing an even more treacherous outfit. Her green suit seemed to be insufficient in holding her prodigious bosom and it left just enough to the imagination so that she could not be arrested for public indecency. The dark green suit went surprisingly well with her brown and black spotted fur. And while she was shorter than Krystal and of stockier build, she was easily as beautiful in her own way.

"So, what do you think, smoking hot right?" Miyu asked with a spicy grin and a fierce gleam in her eyes as she struck an enticing pose.

Alex didn't know what to say. He was terrible in these kinds of situations. The poor man just didn't know how to react. "Uh...yeah?" He replied, sounding more uncertain than anything else.

Miyu chuckled at that, finding his unease cute.

"How about we head down to the water now?" Krystal suggested, saving Alex from any more tough situations, for the moment.

"That's a great idea!" Miyu declared, poking Alex on the nose with a padded finger. "Tag you're it!" The feline swiveled on her heels and shot down the beach like a rocket, paws kicking up sand as she sped past startled furs.

Alex stood up from the pile of towels and gave Krystal a small grin before chasing after Miyu.

Krystal shook her head in bemusement and jogged to catch up. For now, she would try and focus on having fun. The big questions could be answered later.